World Cup winner Sarah Taylor joins Welsh Fire for The Hundred

The 31-year old, widely considered to be among the best wicketkeepers in the history of the game, is one of two new signings for Welsh Fire, alongside Australian leg-spinner Georgia Wareham

Former England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor has joined Welsh Fire for this summer’s The Hundred.

The 31-year old, who is widely considered to be one of the best wicketkeepers in the history of the game, made 226 appearances in all formats for England, winning three Ashes series, two Cricket World Cups (2009 and 2017), and the 2009 Women’s T20 World Cup.

At the time of her retirement nobody in the women’s game had affected more dismissals in all formats than Taylor’s 232 (128 catches and 104 stumpings) while she also scored 6,533 international runs.

In March, she became the first female skills coach in a men’s county set-up, when she joined Sussex's wicketkeeping team.

Taylor will be joined at Welsh Fire by Australian leg-spinner Georgia Wareham. The 21-year old, who has already played 48 matches for Australia and taken 52 international wickets, replaces her compatriot, Jess Jonassen, who has withdrawn from the tournament for personal reasons.

^{Georgia Wareham, pictured bowling against New Zealand, will replace Jess Jonassen at Welsh Fire}

Commenting on signing for Welsh Fire, Taylor said: "There has been a real buzz about The Hundred, and especially the women’s competition. We’ve got the best players from around the world involved and the temptation to be part of it was too great to resist. I’m so excited at the prospect of playing again. It’ll be really special to get back out there and be part of a Welsh Fire side that hopefully can have a great first season."

Wareham added: "I’m really excited to be signed by Matthew for Welsh Fire. I obviously know him, Meg [Lanning] and Beth [Mooney] incredibly well but our whole squad looks strong. Playing with the likes of Sarah Taylor and Katie George will be a great experience and I can’t wait to get going in Cardiff this summer."

Welsh Fire’s head coach, Matthew Mott, was full of praise for his two new additions, commenting: "It is fantastic news that Sarah and Georgia will be part of our squad this summer. Sarah is one of the best cricketers England has ever produced. It goes without saying she would improve any side and we are delighted she’s signed with us. Her experience and ability to influence games will be vital as we look to establish some strong foundations in our first campaign.

"Georgia’s has been an integral part of the Australian side and she’ll bring a real x-factor to our squad. She is a dependable and damaging leg-spinner and has developed her batting as a powerful middle order player with the ability to clear the fence. She is developing into a complete cricketer with her outstanding fielding making her an exciting addition to the Fire squad."

Meanwhile, Beth Barrett-Wild, head of The Hundred’s women’s competition, added: "Sarah Taylor is a truly extraordinary cricketer, who has made a habit of breaking new ground in the game throughout her career. It’s highly appropriate therefore that she will feature in The Hundred this summer – a competition which has the potential to transform women’s cricket.

"I’m personally very excited about watching her play again, and I’m sure her involvement and performances will help to inspire the next generation of girls and boys to fall in love with the sport."

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